Zi:工

工 [gōng] (工作 gōngzuò) work, job; 工人 worker; 工匠 artisan/craftsman; 工程 engineering; (radical 48, 工部); (HDZ:) …

One monosyllabic entry in The ABC Chinese-English Comprehensive Dictionary (namespace Ci):

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The Shuōwén Seal form of 工 gōng ‘(exquisite work with a) geometry/carpentry square/rule’ is said to depict a kind of carpentry square (规巨/矩/榘=曲尺), formed with a central/vertical ink/chalk line (中绳: 符合墨线; 墨线斗子; 弹墨线) or crosspiece, joining opposite/parallel rules (平中準); formerly wr. 𢒄 with 彡 three lines (exquisite pattern) in the middle indicating the ink/chalk line, regular ruling/scale (𦘔), or lines drawn with the artisan's drawing/measuring tool.
    Note: The SW gloss 巧飾/拭 (DYC) might be emended “巧飾也” → “巧也, 飭也”, cf. 飭 chì ‘put in good order’ (DYC); SW associates 工 with 巫(𠮎𢍮𢍦𢀣) wū ‘witch/sorceress’, cf. 巫.
    Note: 工 gōng ‘carpentry square/rule; carpenter/craftsman/worker; work/job/office; fine/exquisite (workmanship/work); skill/technique; time/effort (expended in work); handwork/labor; engineering; industry; etc.’ (HDZ).
    Compare: 巨(𢀓𢀑㠪) jù ‘geometry/carpentry square/rule’, in which 工 is a component (cf. 巨/矩/榘); 匠 jiàng ‘wood work, carpentry’, in which 匚/工 (匞/杢).
    Compare: 左 zuǒ, in which 工 gōng represents the handle of a 弓 gōng ‘bow’, vs. 右(𠮢).
    Compare: 经/經 jīng ‘warp (of a loom)’, 𢀖/巠(𤔊) jīng, in which 工 represents the base of the loom.
    Compare: 攻 gōng ‘attack’; 功 gōng ‘achievement’; 贡(貢) gòng ‘tribute’
    Compare: 𡨄(𡫳𡔂塞) sāi ‘brick/stop up’, in which 㠭 ‘bricks in a wall’; 㠭 zhǎn ‘spread/smooth (mortar/etc.)’, later wr. 展(㞡).
    Compare: 𢏚(𠃬) chóu ‘(boustrophedon) plowed field’, in which 工/匚 represents a furrow/trench (cf. 方).
    “[工] Picture of a [small] carpenter’s square” —Karlgren(AD).
    “[工] Going back to the older forms of the character, it is obvious that many have a heavy lower part that could be interpreted as the stone used to pound the earth; the upper part in that case would be the shaft or handle” —Lindqvist.
    HDZ: 工 : gōng : 曲尺 (矩尺, cf. 巨/矩/榘); 工匠, 工人 (矿工, 电工, 女工); (古) 乐官, 乐人 (掌管音乐的官吏); 官吏; (SW: 巧飾/拭) 精巧, 精致; 擅长, 善于; 技巧, 工夫 (武工, 唱工); 手工劳动; 工程 (施工, 工期); 工业 (化工); 工作情况 (记工); (量词); 工尺谱符号之一; 功; 公; (姓)
    HDC: 工巧 : 技艺高明; 巧艺; 精致美妙; 善于取巧; 巧匠; 匠人, 工匠
    HDC: 巧工 : 技艺高超的工匠
    HDC: 巧飾 : 工巧装饰; 诈伪粉饰
    HDC: 飾巧 : 装饰奇丽; 弄巧 (做出各种巧妙的花样; 卖弄技巧)
    HDC: 曲尺 : 木工用来求直角的尺, 用木或金属制成, 像直角三角形的勾股二边, 通常在较长的一边上有刻度; 矩尺
    HDC: 矩尺 : (木工所用的曲尺, 木尺, 鲁般尺, 鲁班尺)
    HDC: 工夫 : 作事所费的精力和时间; 化费时间和精力后所获得的某方面的造诣本领; 工作; 时间, 时光; (理学家) 积功累行、涵蓄存养心性; 役夫, 役徒
 ►references: Guǎngyùn:029.02; Wieger:82a; Henshall:113; Karlgren:AD469,GSR1172a; Hànyǔ Dà Zìdiǎn:1.410.6; Lindqvist:261; Mathews:3697; Kāngxī Zìdiǎn:325.01; Bǐshùn Guīfàn:002.1.01; Wáng(1993):102; EDOC:1
►Cantonese: gung\
►stroke 工 (... strokes)
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Unicode: U+5DE5
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